3 Chai Recipes To Keep You Up

Remember the good-old picture of the chai wala, Arshad Khan, that went viral? Don’t just look at him, but focus on the tea he is pouring into a cup on a cold day in Isloo. Yes, the very tea which Pakistanis cannot live without.

Teabags wali chai has never been a favorite-favorite of people in Pakistan, at least. It doesn’t have that kick, even if one adds two or more teabags to it. The khushboo is artificial. Not something to make you want to fall in love with chai. But here are recipes of 3 different and very famous kinds of Pakistani chai to get you high. And they don’t need a teabag.

1. Doodh Patti

That very tea that we love to have at the so-called Pathan ka hottal (read: hotel). The milk must be fresh and creamy (AKA thelli wala doodh), and thepatti should be plentiful. Cook, cook, cook. And there you go!

Step 1: Put three cups of water in a pot to boil. After the water starts bubbling, add a teaspoon of chai ki patti (not a teabag). Wait till the mixture cooks.

Step 2: Add 1 cup of taaza doodh to the pot. Let all the ingredients cook.

Step 3: Place the pot on low heat (dum as mommies call it) and add sugar if you so desire. After mixing thoroughly on low heat, transfer the doodh patti to a teapot using a chhanni (filter) to hold back the tea residue.

2. Kashmiri chai with badaam pista

This is that gulaabi chai that is too pretty to drink, and if you don’t drink it, you’re missing out on absolute yummy-ness.

Step 1: In a saucepan, add the 2 teaspoons of tea with half a cup of water. Let it boil till frothy. Then, add half a teaspoon of soda bi-carbonate and whisk vigorously for like 10 seconds. Now, add an additional cup of water and crushed cardamom (2 pods). Let it boil until the tea broth becomes a nice red.

Step 2: Now bring the heat down and add 2 cups of milk. Now whisk the tea broth energetically to achieve a slight froth. The colour of the tea should now be a lovely pink.

Step 3: Lastly, add half a teaspoon of salt and stir. Pour it in a cup and garnish with crushed pistachios and almonds.

3. Masala chai

Step 1: In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water, half a teaspoon of grated ginger, some pepper, 4 whole cloves, 4 cardamom pods and a cinnamon stick to a boil.

Step 2: Get this pan of the stove.

Step 3: Add 2 tablespoons of black tea to it. Now cover the saucepan and let it be on dum for like 3 minutes.